1/4" Sockets - How small are they?

[M635_Guy]

A couple weekends ago I had to swap out the cap and rotor on my old BMW. Since I had a custom-built all-aluminum radiator that is thicker than stock, a typically tedious task became a real PITA - to get the three 8mm bolts that hold the cap out became an exercise of access, clearance and available tools.

What finally worked, if imperfectly, was a combination of my Snap On 1/4" roto ratchet with the shortest 8mm socket I had (SK) and my Icon long flex head ratcheting wrench. The thickness of the socket wall was a bit of a problem on the deepest of these bolts (it fouled a bit on the cap), and the ratchet wasn't long enough. The Icon flex head wrench worked, though it was a bit too long and it would have been nice to have a bit more offset from the fastener for good access. But I made it work and thanked my GarageJournal-stars that I have some decent variety in my tool chest.

It has been a series of jobs with little fasteners lately, so I decided to get the Icon locking flex head kit people have been so positive about. I managed to catch it at one of my local HFs, and it is pretty nice - super-small/shallow and very nice ability to extend the handle. But looking at my existing 1/4" sockets, I realized I wasn't solving as much of the problem as I thought I was. @g13 gave me the perfect recommendation for a very-shallow 1/4" set at O'Reilly's for about $16. Awesome.

So here's comparing my now-four sets of 1/4" sockets. Interestingly, where my Icon 3/8" set was shorter than my SK and Tekton sets, the 1/4" story is different. Tekton is still much taller, but <spoiler alert> SK is the shortest of my regular sets, closely followed by Icon. But the new Power Torque set lops off a lot of height.


I decided to just measure a sample of sizes 6mm (which I don't have in SK), 8mm, 10mm and 12mm.

Let's start with 6mm:

Tekton 6mm:


Icon 6mm:


Power Torque 6mm:

Well over 9mm shorter than the Icon and Tekton

Next up: 8mm:


Tekton 8mm:


Icon 8mm:


SK 8mm:


Power Torque 8mm:

Here the consistently-shorter-than-Tekton/Icon SK is only a little under 5mm shorter. I can tell you that 5mm would have been damn handy doing the cap and rotor, as would the very-narrow wall thickness at the opening of the socket.

10mm

Tekton 10mm:


My returned-from-a-long-vacation-hiding-in-the-engine-bay Kobalt 10mm was pretty close to Tekton:

(I didn't think to measure the diameter to see if it's the same as the Tekton)

Icon 10mm:


SK 10mm:


PT 10mm:

Just over 5mm shallower vs. SK (and funny that they both repeat)

12mm:

Tekton 12mm: (probably a shared blank with the 10mm)


Icon 12mm:


SK 12mm:


PT 12mm: (lol)

Just under 5mm vs. SK and nearly 8mm shorter than the Tekton

I'm pretty happy with the Power Torque set!

 

[Kuma601]

That reminds me trying to get some of the bolts off the water pump that are partially blocked by the engine mount and an idler. Trying to get access to those 10mm was tough. I wished I had the shallow sockets and a thin ratchet. Those Power Torque at Oriellys was added to my list.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I've got a lot of use out of my gearwrench pass through sockets.

 

[JradM]

Would a ratchet wrench have worked?

 

[M635_Guy]

To translate this to the tools...

From L to R - my SK flex 1/4" (which was too short to be very helpful this time), SnapOn 1/4" roto, Icon 8mm/10mm long ratcheting flex head (savior, though a bit longer than ideal), and the new Icon flex bit ratchet with a Power Flex socket (the full Power Flex set at the top). For comparisons,let's just stick with 8mm since that's what I was dealing with. I left off the SK since it is too short - a note on that at the end.

The new Icon bit ratchet comes in at a tidy depth, and the length would have been perfect:

Definitely better than the shallowest socket I had at the time:


But, the Snap On Roto I had that day was pretty shallow (only a tad short):


The SK Flex would have been a winner for shallow, if it had only been long enough:

(under 2mm deeper than the Icon bit ratchet with the PT 8mm)

So... SO Roto + the new PT 8mm is pretty rockin' (over 2mm shorter than the Icon bit ratchet)

The SK would probably have been around 1mm shallower than this. Will be useful in the future if I don't need reach.

Raw with-anvil measurements:
Icon bit ratchet with 1/4" socket bit

Snap On Roto Head


SK LP90 1/4" Flex head was surprisingly the shallowest ratchet.

Too bad I can't plug the Icon hex extension in that puppy...

...but the 8mm end of the Icon long flex head ratcheting wrench was the clearance king.
I did actually wish for a bit more separation from the fastener and a shorter handle (the Icon bit ratchet with the extension would have been great), but getting in the spot was no problem.



The GarageJournal Lesson?

Have more tools. Have more options.

 

[M635_Guy]

I've got a lot of use out of my gearwrench pass through sockets.

I've got a Craftsman set of pass-through. I'll go back and measure tomorrow. Lack of flex would have been the problem in what I was dealing with in that particular case.

 

[ecotec]

So, they go in an 11mm wrench?

 

[M635_Guy]

Would a ratchet wrench have worked?

The Icon flex head ratcheting wrench was ultimately the solution to the worst of the three fasteners.

 

[M635_Guy]

I've got a lot of use out of my gearwrench pass through sockets.

Dammit - I couldn't let it sit - lol.

I doubt the GearWrench set is much shallower than the Craftsman pass-thru, but here's mine @ 8mm:

Not bad! Probably wasn't long or flexy enough for the worst of the three bolts, but a good reminder to keep those in mind more for tight spots.

For what it's worth and future comparisons, I also have the Icon 1/4" roto. While it is a bit longer than the Snap On (and actually my favorite of the two), it is thicker, so I didn't even try to use it that day:

with the SK 8mm - very close to 5mm thicker


with the PT 8mm - 4.8mm thicker than the SO


I think that's enough obsessing for the evening...

 

[ecotec]

Dammit - I couldn't let it sit - lol.

I doubt the GearWrench set is much shallower than the Craftsman pass-thru, but here's mine @ 8mm:

Not bad! Probably wasn't long or flexy enough for the worst of the three bolts, but a good reminder to keep those in mind more for tight spots.

For what it's worth and future comparisons, I also have the Icon 1/4" roto. While it is a bit longer than the Snap On (and actually my favorite of the two), it is thicker, so I didn't even try to use it that day:

with the SK 8mm - very close to 5mm thicker


with the PT 8mm - 4.8mm thicker than the SO


I think that's enough obsessing for the evening...

Put one in an 11mm wrench…

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Crafty probably is gearwrench. Although the socket is not much smaller, you don't have to lift over the drive lug to assemble it in place

 

[ronkz650]

Koken Zeal 2400mz 1/4" drive sockets are 15mm length. They fit most the time for me.

 

[teagueo]

The Koken 2400MZ series are definitely the shallowest, most minimal in material 1/4" drive sockets I've found (besides pass through). Got them for their low weight in a moto toolkit. Amazing quality on these, I love 'em.



PT 8mm is 17.27mm in comparison:






And my thinnest 1/4" drive ratchet. SK LP90 1/4" Fl was 19.16mm in comparison:




With the 8mm Koken socket, it's just a little over an inch thick (the ratchet and socket ). Shallower than the pass through?

 

[DIYNY]

As others have mentioned, combine those PT sockets with 11mm or 7/16 ratcheting wrench and that will give you about 17-18mm height. No other socket/wrench or socket/ratchet combination comes close. Yes, Koken Zeal 1/4 sockets are shallower by 2 mm but they don't have hex base and therefore can't be used with a wrench.

 

[Farleyfan]

Looks like a similar design to the craftsman ratchet wrench socket set, only 1/4 drive !
"Ive got to get a set of those Power Torque sockets"

 

[ecotec]

I have the 1/2” Astro Nano metric set. They are similar in design. They fit in the box end of 22mm wrenches… as the PowerTorque set fits into the box end of 11mm wrenches.

 

[wolf_from_wv]

How deep are the Power Torque ratchet and socket together?

 

[ItsNemo]

I love my Gearwrench pass thru sets for these sort of things, since the socket itself fits into the head, you literally just have the depth of the socket and nothing else.

 

[teagueo]

I have the 1/2” Astro Nano metric set. They are similar in design. They fit in the box end of 22mm wrenches… as the PowerTorque set fits into the box end of 11mm wrenches.

Post up some measurements if you get a chance, those look crazy skinny.

 

[ricleh]

Snapon 1/4" low profile metric socket set

Ratchet width - 9.03mm

8mm socket length - 17.86mm

Width of ratchet with 8mm socket attached - 17.86mm

 

[four.cycle]

OXWALL 1/4" drive ratchet head diameter .77 in.

OXWALL 1/4" drive ratchet head thickness .25 in.

Not worth a damn for any high-torque applications. I'd give it maybe... 5 or 6 ft. pounds? (I'm being generous.)
Silly cheap. Company's been out of business for decades and there are still thousands of these out there in the second-hand market.

 

[ecotec]

Is the low profile Snap-on ratchet 11mm?

Edit… it is. Maybe at some point, I will order this ratchet.

I have about talked myself into at least buying the metric version. $15.99 seems pretty reasonable. If any ever break, I could replace those particular ones with Snap-on.

 

[619DioFan]

I have the power torque sets in metric and saw. They do come in handy. I also got the ratchet they sell for the sockets. Works good. I have the long thin flex ratchet nd short non flex thin from hf. Use the pt sockets on them as well.

 

[Alcap]

Years ago I bought Std and metric Craftsman 3/8” drive similar and have them in 1/2” drive. ( can’t remember the brand ) never saw them in 1/4” so I just ordered a set of each from O’Reliys I don’t use them often but I especially like the option of using a wrench on them .

 

[dnschmidt]

When I was selling TOPTUL I bought 10 of each socket size for my own personal use and for the use of my friends. I've taken a grinder with a cutoff wheel to many a socket over my lifetime. That, my belt grinder, and my welders have made many "special tools" from these sockets over the years. Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

 

[M635_Guy]

Put one in an 11mm wrench…

I tried it with my Hazet ratcheting 11mm


The wrench doesn't "capture" the socket - checked it on a few other 11mm wrenches/sockets I had closeby (7/16 was even looser). I guess that makes sense since it isn't a pass-through/whatever, but I would have wanted to push it in with a paper towel or something to keep the socket in place. Access was pretty stupid (as I guess it would be for most situations requiring low-profile solutions), and I imagine my fumbly self looking for that damn socket repeatedly as it drops out...

 

[ecotec]

I tried it with my Hazet ratcheting 11mm


The wrench doesn't "capture" the socket - checked it on a few other 11mm wrenches/sockets I had closeby (7/16 was even looser). I guess that makes sense since it isn't a pass-through/whatever, but I would have wanted to push it in with a paper towel or something to keep the socket in place. Access was pretty stupid (as I guess it would be for most situations requiring low-profile solutions), and I imagine my fumbly self looking for that damn socket repeatedly as it drops out...

And this is why I haven’t bought this socket set and why there is a limit to how impressed I am by the Astro Nano socket set.

Nothing holds them in the box end of a wrench…

Does something hold the PowerTorque version of this socket set into the corresponding PowerTorque ratchet?

Does something hold the Snap-on version into the corresponding low profile ratchet?

 

[Paco Pena]

I've found a few ultra tight spots that the only reasonable solution was to grind down and shorten the depth of a cheapie socket for clearance. Sometimes you have to customize the tool to fit your needs.

Paco

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's exactly the reason I posted that Oxwall ratchet.

(just don't tell the other guys in the shop you own one.)

 

[redragoon]

That Oxwall looks like something else my toolbox needs...

But in this low clearance situation, I've been turning to a flex head ratcheting wrench. I have to use them to take the fan off the pulley mount on the front of my SUV.

They have been the king of low clearance access.

 

[M635_Guy]

And this is why I haven’t bought this socket set and why there is a limit to how impressed I am by the Astro Nano socket set.

Nothing holds them in the box end of a wrench…

Does something hold the PowerTorque version of this socket set into the corresponding PowerTorque ratchet?

Does something hold the Snap-on version into the corresponding low profile ratchet?

I'm not sure if you're trying to make a point in an unusual way or you meant to quote an additional post.

The PT sockets would have made the problem I was facing better for sure - that 5mm savings would probably have made a couple different options workable, and the Icon bit ratchet would probably have had the best combination of reach, thin walls and shallowness for what I was doing. I needed some bend, too, so the pass-thru set probably wouldn't have worked. A regular flex-head ratcheting wrench wouldn't have either because the body of the wrench head wouldn't have allowed me to get on the bolt - I was having trouble with the thickness of the SK socket as it was.

 

[assassin10000]

I have the 1/2” Astro Nano metric set. They are similar in design. They fit in the box end of 22mm wrenches… as the PowerTorque set fits into the box end of 11mm wrenches.

I have the astro nano sockets in both 1/2" and 3/8" (x2) . The 3/8" has a 17mm hex and the 1/2" 22mm as mentioned above.

These power torque 1/4" sockets just got put on the buy list. Wish astro had made a similar set though.



As far as reach, I think the long matco 1/4 would have done a good job. Here's mine that I converted to 3/8" drive.

 

[silkman]

And the winner is... Open Box 14

(if I understood the problem correctly)

Stahlwille Open Box 14, these are Form B, a slightly different combination wrench design in the closed end. Height about 17mm for 10mm wrench, depending how you measure it.

 

[finn]

Sometimes a cheap socket and a bench grinder is the best alternative on jobs like this, especially if it’s a one off job.

A $1.00 socket and ten minutes on the grinder, and you’re done.

If the aesthetics of your custom tool bother you, throw it out so you don’t have to look at it.

 

[RoninB4]

I'd like to offer a suggestion but I'll have to see a photo (or three) of the 635 first.

 

[M635_Guy]

I'd like to offer a suggestion but I'll have to see a photo (or three) of the 635 first.

I can't find a good pic of the engine bay, but you can see the plug wires up there in blue, which are right up against the all-aluminum radiator that created the constrained-access I was fighting that started all this

 

[RoninB4]

I can't find a good pic of the engine bay, but you can see the plug wires up there in blue, which are right up against the all-aluminum radiator that created the constrained-access I was fighting that started all this

-Nice fleet you got there. I lusted for a 635 for several years, haven't quite gotten over it either. I used to have an e23 733i with a manual transmission (!) I had to let go when I left Chicago. Kept the e36 328is for the roads here is SE Tennessee. Appreciate the photos you posted.

Ok you were nice enough to indulge me I'm now willing to offer suggestions if you still want/need them. Nice fleet you got there neighbor.

 

[werkzeug-keller]

My future combination for tight spaces will be the new Ko-ken 2726ZB-160-72T 1/4" Ratched with 160mm lenght and flex-head. Together with the zeal sockets you get ~23,6mm (4-7mm sockets) and ~24,6mm for the 8-14mm sockets.

+ Ko-ken 2726ZB-3/8(L160)-72T 3/8" Ratched in 1/4" housing for sockets till 22mm.

 

[MAD]

The extra shallow sockets with the hex drive option are very handy but if the fastener is in a real tight spot, I always make sure to use a reversible wrench with a switch. If you use a flip to reverse wrench, it is possible to get the tool stuck with no way to easily tighten back in a few threads to get the wrench out.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

The extra shallow sockets with the hex drive option are very handy but if the fastener is in a real tight spot, I always make sure to use a reversible wrench with a switch. If you use a flip to reverse wrench, it is possible to get the tool stuck with no way to easily tighten back in a few threads to get the wrench out.

Heard this a lot, but I. 10+ years preferring non switchable, I've been close a few times but have not had this happen once.